


The Morning After

by Thenerdintheattic



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Afterglow, Canon Compliant, Implied Relationship, M/M, Reibert Week 2018, reibert are such oblivious dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 14:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15463089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thenerdintheattic/pseuds/Thenerdintheattic
Summary: This morning, Bertholdt looks somewhat different. The cadets make it their life mission to find out why but they may get more than what they have bargained for.Fourth Day of the Reibert Week 2018 - Afterglow





	The Morning After

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I got kind of lazy with this one, sorry. I enjoyed writing it, though, and hopefully, you'll have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

“Maybe his hair is different?"

“No. His hair looks just fine. There's something else.”

“I don't see anything different, guys.”

A dozen of accusing eyes turns towards Eren who just shrugs in response. Sasha gives him a you-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about look and proceeds to ignore him. He looks at what has attracted their attention in the first place and tries his best to notice any change. In vain. To him, Bertholdt looks just like he usually does – tall, shy and ever so serious. Although … Yeah, maybe there is something different, something ….

“It has nothing to do with his appearance, per se,” Armin announces suddenly. “It's more like an expression on his face.”

They all stare more attentively, ignoring the rudeness of their behaviour. It doesn't matter anyway. Bertholdt is not looking in their direction, he's silently drinking coffee, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

“He's smiling!” Connie shouts. Mikasa hits him on the shoulder. The boy grunts and rubs the spot where the blow fell, grimacing. But he's right. Bertholdt is smiling but it's not his usual beam - it's something more discreet, almost invisible, like a footstep in the sand being slowly erased by the tide. 

“He does smile sometimes.” Mikasa argues.

Marco rubs his chin and shakes his head.

“Connie's got a point, though. His smile is different.”

Marco can't really pinpoint what's different with this smile, though. Sure, Bertholdt is never easy to read, and this morning is no exception, but it really looks like there is something else today. Something new.

“It almost looks like he's …. glowing. Like he's got this kind of aura.”

Everyone turns towards Christa. She's cupping her face and a dimple has formed on her forehead as she focuses on revealing Bertholdt's secret.

“Are you serious? People don't glow!”

Jean's intervention is ignored. No one has the time to contradict him – Sasha screams in shock and puts her hand in front of her mouth, eyes wide open. They all have the time to hear her whisper “He did … the thing” but before anyone has the time to ask what she's talking about, Bertholdt has joined them, attracted by the commotion.

“Is everything alright there, guys?” he asks, as polite as ever.

As the others blush or at least have the decency to look embarrassed, Sasha starts laughing uncontrollably and soon, tears begin rolling down her cheeks. That's when Mikasa seems to get it and she just crosses her arms with half a smile on her lips, ignoring the puzzled looks around them.

“Sasha?” Armin asks, slightly worried.

The girl doesn't reply, too busy laughing to speak. She waves at him and walks back. Bertholdt looks at her with his eyebrows raised but before he has the time to ask what it's all about, a voice sounds behind them, bringing a new kind of smile on his face.

“What the hell is going on here?”

It's Reiner and as he observe him join the group, it hits Armin. He and Bertholdt have the same expression and it can only mean one thing. They did … the thing. He blushes furiously and looks down. It's like it's written on their faces and it's a miracle that no one else noticed yes. He's not too worried about Marco and Christa. They've probably put two and two together already and are clever enough not to make a big thing out of it. Jean probably doesn't care anyway, so it's not a big deal. But Connie and Eren are basically clueless and it's just a matter of time before they say something incredibly embarassing. They have to be stopped. Mikasa seems to share his thoughts because she throws him an understanding look. She grabs Eren by the arm and starts pulling him away, leaving Armin to deal with Connie. But before he has the time to lure him away from Reiner and Bertholdt, Connie has already put his foot in it.

“Hey guys, did you do something? You look different today.”

Reiner and Bertholdt freeze. The former's jaw drops as the latter looks positively dreadful now and Armin closes his eyes briefly.

“Of course they don't. They look just the same.” He tries to salvage the situation, without much hope though. His voice has been too high, too nervous, and he tries to take Connie away but the boy struggles back. He's determined to find out what happened and won't rest until he's achieved his goal. 

“No wait." Connie starts. "Chrysta was right. You have this kind of …. glow.”

As Armin facepalms, a huge smile eats half of Reiner's face as he turns towards Bertholdt.

“See that, Bertl, we're glowing. I told you it would do miracles to your complexion.”

Bertholdt looks now as horrified as Armin. The little blond genius would love to say something, anything, but all he can do is look at Reiner's grin and Connie's clueless expression and he cannot even start to imagine how mortified Bertholdt must be feeling at the moment. However, if he thought it couldn't get any more awkward, he was wrong. Ymir, who has been nowhere to be seen until now, heads towards the little group, hands on her hips. She stands right in front of Reiner and Bertholdt, pointing an accusing finger towards the blond's chest.

“You! The next time you decide to bang each other, do it more quietly. I was in the next room and I don't care how good you think you are, there are things I don't want to hear again. Ever.”

With that, she turns around and walks away, leaving the pair of them crimson with embarrassment. Armin cannot help but share their unease and just wishes to disappear deep into the ground. They hear Sasha's laugh become even more hysterical as Connie finally gets it. He opens his mouth, decides to shut up and looks down, unable to stare at Reiner and Bertholdt.

“Maybe we should leave those two … alone.”

They accept Chrysta's proposition without any hesitation and leave the two "friends" in the middle of the room. They both look like they would kill to be anywhere else but there, but as he looks at them one more time before going out, Armin notices their half smiles and thinks that those two couldn't be better paired.


End file.
